We will be separated from next week because of business trip.
（Do you work together? ）We will be separated from next week because of business trip.　We sell the most during this time. Busy season.（Fall season?）Yes, right now is the peak, the summer finally ended and people are starting to feel like wearing this kinds of things.

It got burnt from the air attack on the 10th of March
（Witch generation are you?）I am the 2nd generation, but my father was working as a accessory/ornament maker at a place called HONJYO. But it got burnt from the air attack on the 10th of March. The factory happened to be in FUNABASHI and so, we moved to FUNABASHI instead. (What kind of job is accessory/ornament maker? ）In the past I made ornamental hairpins and accessories.（Were you working with SHIPPOU ( cloisonne) back then too?） No, more like gold and silver. And since 1960s, I've been working with SHIPPOU only. Just SHIPPOU.（Already 30 years or so? ）Yes. Now that I think about it, I think it was the right choice to work with SHIPPOU.（Still not many SHIPPOU craftsman? ）Yes, yes.（How about your father's job? ）Oh, I'm not taking after his job, I'm just working with SHIPPOU.

Well, Tutankhamen in Egypt is decorated with SHIPPOU
（How do you make SHIPPOU? ）Gold, silver, sapphire, coral, agate, pearl, maie（black stone）these seven colors are called SHIPPOU and material for are glaze mainly silica glass and such things as minium. There are about several hundred types of colors. We have about hundred types. And now, it's right here too, but we make the colors depending on the combinations of those different colors. And for me, I am better at coloring with transparent color. The glaze has several types such as turbid, translucent, transparent, YOUHEN (changes color with heating), and I personally feel proficient at working with transparent color, coating the item several times with it.（What is the base of SHIPPOU?）Mainly copper. And add color on top of the copper.（Is it like painting?） Um, yes.（What are the bumps on the back?）The bumps are called FURITTO and they are the things that become glaze.（Are there many different combinations? ）Yes, the combinations are what becomes the design and we have to come up with it.（Do you always make the same ones or come up with different ones?）No, it's not like that. If it is decided that it will sell, we continue to make that one. So, in order to get there we make different types, see the customers reaction, decide what sells, then make that as the main product.（Baking is done last? ）Now, we bake it in this little kiln. We have the big one at the factory.（Used kiln in the old days also?）I think so. I mean Tutankhamen in Egypt is decorated with SHIPPOU. It came from Europe.（About when?）Well let me see, the old age, Nara period, the things made then are kept in the SHOUSOUIN and they are from China. In Japan, it became popular in the Edo period; it's on the knob of the FUSUMA (sliding door) and metallic fittings on buildings. Even on swords and by Meiji period, it became full-grown and became known through out the world as Japanese technique.（Was there such word as SHIPPOU from the ancient times?）Yes. It was in the Buddhist book. SHIPPOU (In Japanese characters, it is written as seven- treasure) was named after Momoyama period because it shows the beauty of seven jewels. In French, it is said emailleur.

In that case, I'm weak,HaHa
（Besides accessories, what can SHIPPOU be used for?）Ornaments, wall adornments, but it's not profitable, the only thing that takes is time. （Make only one of each? ）Yeah, there is people who are commonly referred to as an artist right? People who displays their work in the Ueno Art Exhibition makes them as appliednfine arts for the exhibition. But we are handicraft workers making personal ornaments as a major. Appliednfine art doesn't make much profit, so we don't make much money, so we concentrate on putting the food on the table.（Is it hard to make this much design?） （Wife）Yes, it's a lot of work, we barely make it with the two of us.（Do you sketch the designs?）（Master）Yes, but since I've been doing this for many years, I sketch it inside my head.（HaHa）.（Wife）There are left over, and ones that are almost sold out, rotation is very fast.（Flower design even although it's a loop tie? ）Yeah, I can't help that（haha）,I meant it to make it for men, but since I make more accessories for women right? So, the sense is… more like for ladies' and that is the problem. In that case, I'm weak, HaHa （SHIPPOU shouldn't look solemn? ）No, that's why we work with this kind of shapes. At Tokyo Disneyland, these are popular right now.（Owl! At night it twinkles, isn't it pretty?? ）Yes.（What's the name of this piece? ）It's called One Point Accessory and you put it on a coat or on the collar. Oh, and the owl is an amulet in Japan. When sold at the department stores, we attach explanation about this amulet.

Customers are not going to be satisfied if it's the same things
（Even if one design is on a roll, shouldn't make too much? ）Oh, yes. I mean if it's the same article, the customers are not gonna be satisfied. But of course that would be different if it's famous through out the world like Louis Vuitton, but other wise, everyone having the same thing on isn't that nice. (Why don't you make Louis Mitsuhashi? ）Hahaha.（Do you have a name for your shop? ）No.（You should make it up！）（Wife）It's only the two of us that's making it though,ehehe. So, the things we make have no name.（Would it be hard to put a title for every piece?）Yes, since the products changes quickly.

We write letters informing "We are coming, we are coming"
The positive part about small business is that you can quickly shift to the things that sell a lot.（Wife）We don't over make them so, no losses. It works well to just make few of a kind and change to the next; we don't make as much as 10 or 20 of them.（Go through whole sale? ）No, we are not doing that right now. We used to, but as we got in the 70's, it became more on selling to other craftsmen while we make it at department stores and at hotels. So, now, the biggest trade is with Tokyo Disneyland and other small shop.（Only two of you as vendors? ）Yes, yes.（So your goods can only be bought only at the hotels and department stores? ）Um yes, that is why we send letters. We have a directory all over Japan and so, when we go we send letters informing "We are coming, we are coming". Also indicating the dates of our visit.（It's so wonderful that you are in direct contact with the customers!）That is why we are so excited about this internet project. We can sell it to every country in this world. Wife）We are behind the times, so it's a big help that you are doing it for us. I'm even excited thinking about how to put it on the Internet.（Oh, we are glad!）We have been taking our items around Japan to sell, but now it will all be on the internet. Many foreigners buy these before they go back. We sell ours at Narita Airport too, so.

We are expert with this design of camellia.
（Wife）The red and white one. We are expert with this design of camellia. We make it in to an OBIDOME (sash band on kimono). It has a bit of special feature and the customers love them. Since, it is created in a way that the normal tassel that goes around the obi belt will go through this. Usually when you buy an OBIDOME, you can only use the tassel made for that OBIDOME. Because of the connection with the kimono stores and they make big tassels, we thought of a way so the normal size can go through the OBIDOME. This kind of things can only be explained at department stores. This types of OBIDOME sells a lot. Since the price of the OBIDOME becomes like 3 times as much as it is sold through wholesale dealer.

The color, red is the hardest color to work with in ceramics.
（When master first started the SHIPPOU, did you go on training? ）No, it's not like training , but more like, um.. how can I explain, in the accessory / ornament maker there is parts that uses SHIPPOU, I mean a little bit, like in that ornamental hairpins. So, I had a bit of skill, and I used that SHIPPOU skill only and used the method "try and error", of course I had difficulties for several years. Even though, I suffered for a while, due to that generation or something I got on the roll and it sold a lot. And as I worked, I also continued studying, it was something like that.（Wife）The Narita Airport was the first step. We started a store there, but none of the other stores had SHIPPOU. The airport opened in 1978, so the timing was right and we were lucky. We studied a lot for it.（What was difficult? ） Studying by ourselves, instead of learning from someone else.（Are there any techniques you came up with?）Hand drawing. Every shape and design are different, so it sells quickly. But, it takes time; I can barely make them because I am pressured to make others.（How about these? ） YOUHENSHIPPOUSHIPPOU( this is in a category of SHIPPOU, but it creates something unexpected depending on the time, temperature, combination of colors etc.)（What are the difficulties of YOUHENSHIPPOU?）The color doesn 't turn out the same, every one of them turns out different. Depending on the time, the color differs. Sometimes too dark or the balance of the colors turns out not so good. In ceramics, working with red is the hardest thing. If you wash glaze, it comes out pretty with transparency. The temperature depends on the size and the type of the glaze, it is usually around 800 to 950 degrees.

It's hard to think of new designs that would sell
（To the wife- Did you start this job from the time you got married?） Um...Yes.（Did you learn from the Master? ）（Master）We both started at the same time,1969.（Is this job fun? ）（Wife）More on the difficult side, summer is hot isn't it? Especially this kiln. To come up with the things that would sell is hard. But if it's always the same…（Are you used to making these? ）Making them, yes.（What was popular so far? ）Well, let me think guess YOUHENSHIPPOU. Types of glaze for YOUHENSHIPPOU is a bit different, the elements are different from others. But they have the glaze at the stores and people who do SHIPPOU has this , but the colors doesn't turn out right. It is very hard to get the right colors.（What are the knack to this? ）The way you pile the materials on top of the other, and the condition of baking them. Well, the main is up to the way you pile the materials.（Master）Thickness of this YOUHEN, the importance in YOUHEN is the thickness, and the combination of the materials, so use a brush like this for shadings, that is the technique in this job.（Instinct important ? ）（Wife）Yes. Even firing. YOUHENSHIPPOU is the only thing that changes colors depending on the condition of the firing. Plus, we have glaze that we are the only ones that have it and we use this as our hidden flavor. （Master）That is why of course YOUHENSHIPPOU is our best selling item.